Parking basics

Paving the way for

better cities!
I wonder why they
call it a "flyover" ...

I only get to sleep for

7 hours but my car
sleeps for 23 hours!
Personal cars and two wheelers occupy most of our street space, yet they serve less
than a third of all trips. They also sit idle for 95 per cent of the time—consuming
precious street space that could be put to more efficient and equitable use.

Many public agencies push for more parking in buildings, confident that this will
fix the problem. Paradoxically, more parking invites more car use, contributing to
traffic jams, toxic air, and miserable urban life. While large sums of public funds
are spent creating multi-level parking and flyovers, facilities for walking, cycling,
and public transport continue to languish.

Something’s clearly amiss!

Here we unravel the parking myths that hamper progress in our cities and present
solutions for managing on-street parking and regulating off-street parking.

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 1

 Is there an end to parking
demand when it's free?

Why are these cars

blocking the footpath
when the multi-level
parking is empty?

Isn't it unfair that I have to

pay full market rent but they
can park anywhere rent-free?
 Multi-level car parking doesn’t
solve parking woes. Better
on-street management does.
Parking on streets and in multi-level structures is a commodity,
not a public good. Build less of it, charge more for it, and manage
it better!

Why should I park in multi-level

parking when no one stops me from
parking anywhere on the street?
 MANAGE ON-STREET PARKING

Implement a smart
1 parking system
Create a parking management unit that brings together urban local
bodies, traffic police, and other stakeholders. Staff the parking
management unit with competent professionals who are capable
of monitoring system operations. Engage service providers to
set up and operate the system in return for a performance-based
service fee.

uu Demarcate parking
zones
Create parking management zones
at the city level based on existing
administrative areas or the level of
public transport access (e.g., good,
average, poor). Each zone may have
its own parking rates, rules, and
transport improvement plan.

uu Mark parking slots

Within each zone, define parking
and no-parking areas on streets
through physical design, signage,
and road markings. Parking rules
should be transparent to all users. ✘
4 Parking basics
 Determine the ratio of two-
wheeler to four-wheeler
demand and allocate parking
slots accordingly. Create 10
cycle parking slots for every
100 m of street edge.
1m

2m

Parallel car parking

is the most efficient
orientation.

5m

2m

Define motor vehicle parking slots only

after providing ample space for footpaths,
trees, cyclists, and street vending.

✔
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 5
 Sign up for a parking account with mobile
number and vehicle registration details.
uu Install customer-
oriented parking
systems
Use a modern parking management
system with an information
technology (IT) backbone. Enable
quick and hassle-free payment
of parking fees through a mobile
phone-based payment system.

Recharge using a credit card, net banking, Use this account to manage all parking
or parking coupons bought from stores. payments.

uu Disseminate Before a trip, find streets or lots with

vacant slots and applicable rates.
information about
parking policies
Inform citizens of the benefits of
parking management, new parking
regulations, and system features.
Provide real-time information to
customers through various media,
including the internet, smart phone
apps, and on-street signage.

6 Parking basics
Use the parking app or
send an SMS with the slot
number to the system.
"Start
parking at
Z12"

"Parking
started at
Z12."

Use the parking app

or send an SMS to the
system when you leave.
"Stop
parking"

"Thank you
for using the
system."

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 7

 Employ enforcement officers
to scan licence plate numbers
using handheld devices.
uu Enforce parking rules
Enforce parking rules in both
parking and no parking areas
through random spot checks by
enforcement officers. Monitor no-
parking zones to ensure that no
unauthorised parking occurs.

Verifying Verify status of vehicle

vehicle in the central database.
status...

Vehicle
status:
UNPAID

If vehicle user has not Make payment online

paid the parking fee, or by SMS to get your
clamp or tow the vehicle. vehicle released.

8 Parking basics
 Use parking revenue to build
2 people friendly streets
Use surplus parking revenue to fund zonal improvements that shift
people away from cars and towards walking, cycling, and public
transport. For example, revenue generated by 1 km of paid parking
is sufficient to pay for footpaths along the same stretch and 10
buses to serve the area.

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 9

 Price parking to manage
3 demand
The price of parking influences user choice. When demand is high,
increase the price so that people who have the highest willingness
to pay are able to find vacant slots.

uu Charge on high-occupancy streets

Start charging for parking on streets with peak-period occupancy greater than
60 per cent. Increase the price when demand is high—i.e., when occupancy is
more than 90 per cent.

uu Set price based on:

Location
Charge more in areas with high
demand for parking. On-street
parking is a premium service.
Encourage people to use off-street
facilities by charging more for on-
street than off-street spaces.
Time of day
Charge more for parking during
peak periods to prevent people
from taking cars out and adding to
congestion.

Vehicle size Parking duration

Charge proportionately higher rates Charge in proportion to the amount
for four-wheelers as compared to of time parked. Don't provide any
two-wheelers. Parking for non- discounts for longer-term parking.
motorised vehicles including cycles
and cycle rickshaws should be
provided free of charge.

10 Parking basics
 Parking costs less if I
avoid the peak hours.

Everyone wants to park on the

main road, so it’s expensive.
But I can always park a little
farther away and pay less.
I use a fifth of the
space so I pay a
fifth of the price.

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 11

Building density doesn’t create
traffic—more parking does.
So build transit, add density,
and cut parking!
An excessive supply of cheap parking encourages people to use
personal motor vehicles — even when good public transport
is available. So, in areas with good connectivity to mass rapid
transit, building density is welcome but parking is not.

If everyone else took

the bus, I could have
been home by now!

Excessive parking invites car use, causing congestion even

✘ with low density development.
 We can all get to work
faster on this bus
rapid transit system!

Limited parking dissuades car use. Dense development is

✔ supported by rapid transit.
 REGULATE OFF-STREET PARKING

Restrict the supply

1 of parking
Rather than creating parking in a fixed ratio to built space, limit
the supply of off-street parking and charge separately for it.

uu Remove parking minimums

Modify building regulations to remove minimum parking requirements. Allow
developers to assess parking demand before creating parking.

✘ ✔
14 Parking basics
uu Charge for off-street
parking
Count parking created as part of
FAR. Tax parking spaces at a rate
equal or higher than property tax
rates for built-up space.

I don’t own a car. So I

uu Rent parking spaces don’t have to buy a parking
space with my apartment!
separately from built
space
When users pay separately for
parking, they demand significantly
less of it. Do not automatically
include the price of parking
spaces in the cost of residential,
commercial, or other built spaces.

uu Cap parking but allow

density
Restrict parking space to 35% of plot
area. Allow higher built density in
areas with good rapid transit access.

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 15

 Adopt building design
2 guidelines
Minimize pedestrian-vehicle conflicts by adopting design
guidelines that support street life.

uu Eliminate parking setbacks

✘ ✔

uu Limit property entrances to create continuous

walking space

✘ ✔
16 Parking basics
 Improve access
3 to transit
Don’t build park-and-ride facilities in urban centres. Instead,
improve transit access by creating a dense network of walking,
cycling, and feeder service routes.

Provide cycle parking near

rapid transit stations.

Locate feeder stops close

to rapid transit stations.

Create a dense network of

streets and paths, with blocks
smaller than a hectare.

Create convenient bays

for auto/taxi drop-off.

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 17

 Let us build cities
for people!

Visit india.itdp.org
July 2015 / Christopher Kost, Ranga Rohini C, Shreya Gadepalli
Supported by the Oak Foundation and ClimateWorks Foundation
Licensed under Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0 License
india@itdp.org